Means for balancing and regulating the lift of aircraft



F. H. PAGE. MEANS FOR BALANCING AND REGULATING THE LIFT 0F AIRCRAFT. APPLICATION FILED DEC; 6, 1921.

1,422, 15, Patented July 111, 1922.

UNITED) STTiS PATENT GDFFHCCE FREDERICK HANDLEY PAGE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HANDLEY PAGE LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR BALANCING AND REGULATING THE LIFT OF AIRCT.

Patented July Ill, 1922,

Application filed December 6, 1921. Serial No. 520,421.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK HANDLEY PAGE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Balancing and Regulating the Lift of Aircraft, of which the following is a specification.

In order to vary the relative lift of the wings on the port and starboard sides of an aeroplane flying machine to maintain the lateral stability of the said machine about the axis of flight, or to cause the lift of both wings on opposite sides of said machine to be increased, flaps or ailerons, hereafter termed flaps, are usuallly provided, being hinged adjacent their forward edges to the rear edges of the wings, and which flaps can be increased in angle or turned downwards as required by means operable by the pilot and which means are so well known as not to call for description in this specification, and the object of the present invention is to provide means, as hereafter described and claimed, by which the effect produced by such hinged flaps is greatly increased.

I have ascertained, as the result of numerous experiments, that by the wing having a slot or slots" through the wing structure from the under surface to the upper surface and extending in length transversely to the line of flight, the lift of such a wing can be increased by admitting air from the under side to the upper side of the wing surface by way of said slot or slots, and when the wing is flown at large angles of incidence the lifting effect is considerably increased. 'As a further result of experiments I have found that the openings of the-slots on the under surfaceof the wing structure should preferably be larger and more forwardly located than the openings on the upper surface.

Now the present invention consists in utilizing and adapting the above mentioned method of increasing the lift, to augment the lifting eflect produced by wing flapswhen the latter are increased in angle or receive a downward movement about their hinges.

According to the present invention each flap,-located at the rear edge of the wing,

said flap as usual, and adjacent the said leading edge of the hinged flap the wing structure has a slot formed through it extending from the under surface to the upper surface, the said slot extending in length transversely to the line of flight; in combination with this construction said flap has fixed to it a cover plate extending forwardly beyond the nose or leading edge of the flap, said cover plate coacting with said slot and being adapted to cover and close the said slot through the said wing structure, when the flap is in its normal or its upward position, and said cover plate is changedin position by said flap to open said slot, when said flap is moved to its turned down position. In this latter position of said flap, due to the automatic opening of the said slot, the lifting effect of the said flap is greatly increased.

It will thus be understood that when the vflap is drawn down for the purpose of increasing its angle and therefore increasing the lift on that wing to which it is attached, the increase in lift is augmented for the reason that not only is the lift secured due to the angle given to the flap, but additional lift is gained due to the air which passes through the slot maintaining the suction effect over the flap, in spite of the considerable angle imparted to the flap.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which sufiiciently illustrate the rear portion of a wing with a hinged flap coacting therewith, Figs. 1 and 2 showing respectively the flap in its normal position, and the flap turned upwards, while Fig. 3 shows the flap turned downwards, which movement has the effect 'of automatically opening the slot throu h the wing structure adjacent to the forwar edge or nose of the fia l eferring to the drawings, 1 represents the rear portion of an aeroplane wing, 2 representing the rear spar of the wing. The wing flap 3 is hinged or pivoted near its forward edge to the Wing structure represented at 1, by a hinge member of any suitable construction, and as indicated in the drawings the flap 3 is pivoted by a pivot is 4 adjacent itsforward edge, to brackets 5 carried by a pivot pin or equivalent hinge vmember at or adjacent the leading edgeof t e shown by dotted lines, which brackets can be fixed to and extend rearwards from the wing spar 2.

Adjacent the leading edge of the wing flap 3 the wing structure 1 has a slot 6 formedthrough it, extending from-the under surface to the upper surface, said slot extending in length transversely to the line of flight. A preferable construction of the slot 6 is shown on the drawings, in which the opening on the under surface of the wing structure is larger than the opening on the upper surface, and the slot is curved in a rearward direction from its opening on the under surface to its opening on the upper surface of the wing structure.

Connected by its rear end at 7 to the wing flap 3 is a forwardly extending cover plate 8, which cover plate is formed near its forward end with a through aperture 9, and the forward end of the cover plate is shown as enterin the mouth of the slot on the upper surface of the wing structure, and

. contacting with the forward wall of said slot.

With this construction, when the flap 3 is in its normal position, namely continuous in its direction with the after part of the win as at Fig. 1, or is turned upwards as at ig. 2, the slot 6 will be closed by the cover plate 8, the through aperture 9 therein being masked by the forward wall of the slot 6 in the wing structure. When the flap 3 is turned downwards as at Fig. 3 upon its pivot 4:, the slot 6 is opened by the throughaperture 9 of the cover plate 8 being brought coincident with the mouth of the slot 6 upon the upper surface of the wing structure, and air will'be permitted to pass from the under surface of the win through the slot 6 to above the flap 3. When in the position as at Fig. 3, that is when the flap is. drawn down for the purpose of increasing its angle and therefore increasing the lift on that wing to which it is attached, the increase in lift is augmented for the reason that not only is the lift secured due to the angle given to the flap 3, but additional lift is gained, due to the air which passes through the slot maintaining the suction effect over the flap 3 in spite of the considerable angle imparted to the latter. Y

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In laterally balancing or regulating the lift of the wings of aero lane flying machines; the combination 0 flaps located at the rear edges of said wings, hinge mem "bers to support said flaps, means extending flap is either in its normal or'upward posi-,

.tion, and to open said slot when said flap upper surface of said wing structure adjacent the leading edge of each hinged flap, said slot extending in length transversely to the line of flight; of a cover plate connected at its rear 'end to said flap and extending forwardly, to close the opening of said slot in said wing structure when said flap is elther in its normal or upward position, and to open said slot when said flap is moved into its turned down position.

v 3. In laterally balancing or regulating the lift of the wings of aeroplane flying machines; the combination with flaps located at the rear edges of said wings, hinge members to support said flaps, and means extending from the structure of said wings to support said hinge members, slot from the under surface to the upper surface of said wing structure adjacent the leading edge of each hinged flap, said slot said wings having a extending in length transversely to the line when said flap is in its turned down -position said aperture of said cover platecoincides with the mouth of said slot of said wing structure to open said slot.

4. In laterally balancing or regulating the I lift of the wings of aeroplane flying ma chines; the combination with flaps located at the rear edges of said wings, hinge members to support said flaps, and means extending from the structure of said wings to support said hinge members, said wings having a slot from the under surface to the .upper surface of said wing structure adjacent the leading edge of each hinged flap, the opening of said slot on the under surface of said wing structure bein larger than the opening on the upper sur ace, said slot being curved in a rearward direction from its said opening on the under surface to its said opening on the upper surface of in length transversely of the line of flight;

of means connectedto and operable by said turned down position.

5. In laterally balancing or regulating the lift of the wings of aeroplane flying machines; the combination withflaps located at the rear edges of said wings, hinge members to support said flaps, and means extending from 'the structure of said wings to support said hinge members,-said wings having a slot from the under surface to the upper surface of said wing-structure adjacent the leading edge of each hinged flap, 7

the opening of said slot on the under surface of said wing structure being larger than the opening on the upper surface, said slot being its said opening on the under surface to its said opening on the upper surface of said wing structure, and said slot extending in length transversely of the line of flight; of a cover plate connected at its rear end to said flap and extending forwardly, to close the opening of said slot in said wing structure when said flap is either in its normal or upward position, and to open said slot when said flap is moved into its turned down position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the resence of two witnesses.

FREDER lCK HANDLEY PAGE. Witnesses THOMAS WIL IAM ROGERS, WILLIAM A. MARSHALL.

curved in a rearward direction from" 

